Improvement in railroad-switches



Starts CONRAD r.. LAsHAR, on NEW Yonx, N. Y.

BMPROVEMENT IN RAILROAD-SWITCHES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 40,694, dated November 24, 1863; antedated November 9, 1863.

T0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CONRAD B. LASHAR,

new and useful Improvement in Switches for ltaiIroadC-ars; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of my said invention, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification, wherein- Figure l is a plan ofthe track and of a pair of wheels 5 and Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the switch, with the wheels upon the track.

Similar marks of reference denote the same parts.

Railroad cars have heretofore been switched from the main track upon a turnout, or the reverse, by means of a raised rail acting as an inclined plane to raise the car up and cause the thread of the wheels to pass over one line of track and take another line of track, and movable switches have also been employed to give direction to the wheel'anges.

The nature of my said invention consists in a guide-wheel or flange applied to the car wheels or axles in such a manner as to take `at the side ot' a stationary switch-rail and draw the'wheels sidewise from one line of track upon another. The tracks themselves being of the ordinary construction, those cars that are not fitted with the guide-wheels, or With a different guide-wheel, proceed on the track as usual, while the car that is to turn oft' at a particular switch is directed across the frogplate to the proper line of track by the said stationary switch-rail.

In the drawings, to a represent the rails of a railroad continuing along straight or nearly straight, while b b are the rails of the turnouttrack. c and d are the tongues on the ordinary frog-pl ates that form the j unction ofthe respective tracks. c and fare the wheels ofthe car or truck, which car or truck may be of any usual character, and if all the wheels were of the ordinary charactersuch as the wheels e-the car would pass unobstructed along the straight track a. The wheels of such cars as are to go oft' at the turnout are formed, as shown at g, with a second flange, taking against the side of the switch-rail t', that is formed to stand somewhat above the level ot' the rails a and I), in order that the flange g may be of less diameter than the wheel. This switch-rail is to be placed as shown, so that the flange g, taking within the inner side'thereof, shall draw the first pair of Wheels bodily sidewise, and cause the flanges of the wheels to enter the turnout and take the track thereof. Both the wheels on one side may be made with these guide-flanges, or all the wheels ofthe car may be made in this manner, so as to act regardless'of which end of the car may be going forward. It will be seen that this switch-rail does not lift the carin the least, but only acts to give direction to the car from the main line to the turnout, and it may be at a greater or less distance from the track, or at a greater or less elevation, in order that the guide-flanges may be tted ou the wheels or axles in diii'erent positions, so that several lines of cars may run on one main railroad and be turned oft' by the switch-rail and guide-auges on arriving at their proper turnout. carrying this ra-il t' may be secured tothe sleeper or to the frog-plate by a bolt at l, upon the loosening or removal of which the guiderail may be moved back out of thevway when it may become necessary to prevent the cars turning oft' at their usual turnouts.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The switch-rail t', tted substantially as speciied, in combination with the flan ge g on the car axle or wheel,to give direction to the car from the main track upon the turnout, as set forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my signature this 24th day of April, 1863.

C. B. LASHAR.

Vitnesses LEMUEL W. SERRELL, GHAs. H. SMITH.

The switch-plate 

